White lightning sparked wild around Lucia, tearing through the air as time slowed down around her. {If he doesn't remember the day we met, then maybe he is mind controlled again.}
She snapped her fingers together, catching the flying blade right between two fingers. Lowering her hand in one quick motion, she spun the weapon around, putting the dagger into use for herself.
"You will be hard to deal with," Lynx muttered, cracking his neck with a dry snap.
"It's me, Lucia," she said, pointing the tip of her index finger at her own chest. "Don't you remember anything?"
"I remember well and clear, because I was never mind controlled." Lynx grinned wide, pointing his remaining dagger straight at her face. "It was all an act."
"No, this is a lie! You had all the opportunity to strike me down, when I was injured, when I was asleep!" Lucia pointed out, standing her ground firmly.
"You are way stronger than me." Lynx dropped into a low stance. "What makes you think that I don't know about the protective invisible barriers you set up?"
Lucia kept her posture steady, but inside her chest, everything began to turn dark. Every single second they had spent together, she had been the prey, completely oblivious while the predator waited for the right moment to hunt.
{I want to doubt, but even then none of this makes any sense.} She narrowed her eyes, locking them directly onto Lynx. "Then tell me who gave you permission to execute me?"
"As if I will ever tell a dead person about them."
Lynx exploded forward, dashing across the wooden stage and stabbing straight toward her heart. Lucia brought up her captured dagger with a metallic clang, blocking the blade before driving a high-speed punch straight into his chest. Lynx fell backward, crashing hard onto the floor and gasping for air.
"You are not Lynx! He doesn't do stupid things without a reason." Lucia extended her right hand, offering him back his dagger. "Stop this and let's go back to being friends."
"You know, you would make a great queen." Lynx snatched the dagger from her hand, pushing himself off the floor. "But I'm just an anonymous trash."
"Why does that matter? And I don't wish to become a queen! I just want to know why they are after me," Lucia pressed on as Lynx stood fully upright. "I don't care about what you think of yourself, I know you are a nice person."
"The answer to that question is unknown to me. I'm doing what I've been told. If you wish to find out, you would end this before I strike with everything I got."
Lynx lunged forward, swinging his dagger straight toward Lucia's face. Lucia simply closed her eyes, refusing to move a single muscle.
Lynx's eyes widened in shock. His blade froze right against her skin. Lowering his arms slowly, a single drop of blood began dropping down from a small cut on her cheek.
"Oh, you're no fun! Fight back!" Lynx yelled at her, as she opened her eyes.
"You told us to believe in one another. So why did you stop?" Lucia whispered, with a faint smile. "Didn't you want to execute me? Or is there something you are hiding again?"
Lynx stayed quiet for a long moment. "Don't misunderstand it. I'm a sadomasochist, and if it was that easy to kill you, we would've destroyed your kingdom, your family, and especially your friend Mina," Lynx sneered, mocking her with a cold laugh.
Lucia stepped back, her breath catching. "Why... why are you doing this...?"
"NX was kidnapped by me," Lynx said, a sharp smile creeping across his face.
Lucia's heart began beating fast, left in complete, agonizing shock.
"Where is NX...?" Lucia grabbed Lynx's collar with white knuckles. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"
"He was an interesting item to consume. It boosted my power."
Without another word, Lynx swung both of his daggers straight toward her face.
...
Meanwhile, inside a shifting purple dimension...
Rey was frozen solid, tightly gripped by dark purple plant ropes that wound around his body like thick vines. {No matter how much I try, why can't I move!}
"When will your stamina run out!?" the red assassin screamed, standing on the pitch-black floor right in front of Rey. He repeatedly slammed his dagger into Rey's chest, but the blade couldn't pierce through Rey's skin.
{I still have half of my stamina. I can just hope using this also drains his energy.}
"So, I have a question," the red assassin locked eyes with Rey. "Why do you think we can't send you back?"
"Because you can't," Rey grinned back at him, teeth bared. "And you are gonna try to manipulate me, which won't work."
The red assassin laughed out loud. "Suit yourself. Your stamina will run out sooner or later." He walked away, sitting down on the dark floor.
{What should I do.} Rey tried to strain his muscles to move his body again. {Why would he just let it off so easily... Was he telling the truth? Then that would mean Lynx lied... why would he do that?}
{But then everything he is doing right now is so random. That day he held me to tell me three things... he told me he would participate and...}
Rey tried to recall and visualize what the conversation between him and Lynx was after he pulled him into the alley:
~
Lynx grabbed Rey by the forearm and pulled him off the main street, ducking into a narrow, dimly lit alley between two stone buildings.
"There's three things I want to tell you," Lynx said, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.
Rey caught Lynx's shoulder to steady him. "Sure... but are you even good?"
"Yeah, don't worry," Lynx muttered. "First... I'm joining the final match tomorrow."
"But you're beat up! Look, we want to win this, but—"
"Don't be sorry. Be willing," Lynx cut him off, his gaze unyielding. "Second, we are being watched, so don't act suspicious... and don't tell Lucia about any of this."
"And the third?" Rey asked, a knot tightening in his stomach.
"The third... I can get you out of the cult, so just do as I say. Take me to them tonight. I will see you around the restaurant we always eat at."
"But—"
"Do you want the liars to harm Lucia?" Lynx turned his shoulder, walking away down the alley. "I'm guessing you don't. See you then."
~
{I don't remember what happened after that, but he asked me to call upon them and let Lynx talk to them. At first I didn't agree, but knowing that the day when they would try to assassinate Lucia was getting closer, I gave in. I took him to the cult of assassins' secret office, which was an abandoned school building.}
{We found them inside a dusty classroom while their leader explained the plan to them. I recall some bit of what happened in there as well...}
~
A room full of assassins were chatting inside a dilapidated classroom. The red assassin explained the plan on a chalkboard, drawing random marks and crude stick figures.
Rey opened the rusty wooden door, drawing every eye in the room. The moment the assassins noticed Lynx behind him, they drew their weapons with a harsh clash.
"Who have you brought to our office without permission!" the red assassin screamed.
"Calm down," Lynx walked in smoothly, while the assassins took guard, raising their weapons. "You wish to execute Lucia Isotta, correct?"
"Lower your weapons," the red assassin commanded the others. They did as told. He turned his head back to Lynx. "How do you know about it? Did Rey tell you?"
"No. I'm a private assassin hired by Prince Geo Morax Luchiet," Lynx said, his face and voice remaining completely indifferent. "I heard there would be more hired people, so by whose permission are you trying to execute Princess Lucia Isotta Luchiet?"
"Prince? Okay, but how can I trust you?" the red assassin questioned.
"Lucia is adopted, and that's the big reason they don't want her to have the divine artifact and power in the future."
"That's just random bullshit!" one of the assassins spoke up from the back.
"No, that's actually true. She is an adopted child and it's kept hidden..." the red assassin continued, turning to his crew. "I only found out due to the man who requested it."
"So who requested it from you juniors?" Lynx stepped forward, his gaze sharpening.
"Sir Lynx, come with me," the red assassin pointed at Rey and the other assassins. "You people stay here."
The red assassin and Lynx went outside, heading down the hallway together.
~
{That's all I remember.}
The dark purple plant ropes that wound around his body like vines weakened. {Yup, buddy... you're cooked.}